Cowboy rocks the Acura Stage at the 2010 Jazz Fest, with some help from local resident, commentator, humorist and musician Harry Shearer (in blue shirt) on bass.This was by no means Cowboy Mouth's first rodeo. The high-energy New Orleans rock 'n' roll band has been around for 20 years and has become a regular at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Anybody unfamiliar with the proud local rockers can be excused for mistaking them for newbies, however, as they played with the infectious enthusiasm of first-timers Saturday (April 24) when they lit up the Acura Stage for a 1:50 p.m. set at the 41st Jazz Fest.

Members of Cowboy Mouth are seen on an oversized video display at Jazz Fest's Acura Stage as heartier fans wade through a field of muck to get a better view.After a characteristically up-tempo start to the show, frontman Fred LeBlanc -- who called the Acura Stage appearance a "dream-come-true" -- started in on the melancholy "The Avenue," which has become a tearjerking post-Katrina anthem. In mid-song, though, he stopped.

"The time for that song is over," LeBlanc told the crowd. "Because these are good times here in New Orleans. ... I want to sing about embracing the future."

He then launched into the much more optimistic, crowd-pleaser "I Believe," the recently retooled version of which includes the lyrics, "I believe in the spirit of rock 'n' roll / in the eternal strength of the immortal soul / that the New Orleans Saints can win the Super Bowl / I believe in the power of love."

This time, though, he tweaked it again, changing that third line to a top-of-his-lungs shout: "The New Orleans Saints won the f---ing Super Bowl!"

The already-energetic crowd ramped up even further at that point and, at LeBlanc's repeated urging, stayed that way for the remainder of the hourlong set.

Between songs, LeBlanc waxed on about the food at the festival, saying he couldn't wait to come back on Sunday for some Crawfish Monica.

"You can't get food like this in Seattle," he said. "Nothing against Seattle -- you just can't get a good crawfish po-boy there."

Those fans brave enough -- or drunk enough -- to wade into a broad, muddy plain in the front of the stage were rewarded with a front-row view when New Orleans resident, comedian and commentator Harry Shearer -- aka Derek Smalls of the fictional hard-rock band "Spinal Tap" -- joined in on bass for songs including on a crank-it-to-11 version of "When the Levee Breaks."

Guitarist Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish later joined in, prompting more good will from the crowd.

"So," Leblanc said. "Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon, hmm?"